MOUZ face Team Vitality for Austin Major 2025 Grand Finals spot

21 Jun

Ganesh Jadhav

Over the course of 2025, MOUZ has risen above expectations and solidified themselves as one of the best Counter-Strike teams. But when it comes to facing Team Vitality, they’ve always fallen short. Now, they face their Achilles heel once more—this time for the biggest prize, the Austin Major 2025 Grand Finals. Everything is bigger in Texas, and for MOUZ, this is their biggest shot at ultimate glory.

MOUZ – Exceeding Expectations

At the start of 2025, MOUZ dropped siuhy, the young IGL who had led them to glory, handing the reins to Brollan. Many believed this would mark the downfall of the roster, even though they bolstered their firepower with Spinx. As the year progressed, those expectations couldn’t have been more wrong.

MOUZ climbed the rankings and became legitimate contenders for the Major trophy. Their shaky Stage 3 was turned around with a performance that clinched a rematch against Team Vitality. The team's quarterfinals clash against Team Spirit perfectly captured what MOUZ is all about—pure resilience.

Team Vitality – The Final Boss

Since ropz joined Team Vitality, they’ve been the hardest roster to beat. Even when you have them outplayed tactically, they win through sheer mechanical skill. They entered the Major as heavy favorites, arguably the team most likely to lift the trophy.

Legacy did throw a wrench in their plans, but Vitality bounced back, winning four consecutive maps to secure a quarterfinal against Natus Vincere. That series pushed them to the limit—NAVI outplayed and out-positioned them—but Vitality held firm, played solid Counter-Strike, and secured the win on both maps.

Head-to-Head

In 2025, MOUZ faced Team Vitality six times—and lost every single time. For MOUZ, Vitality has always been where their runs come to an end — their final boss.

Even in their closest encounter—a best-of-five—MOUZ managed to take two maps but were blown out on the ones Vitality won. The key problem? MOUZ consistently plays into Vitality’s hands. They often underperform in these matchups, with key players going missing when it matters most.

This can be best understood with their recent match at IEM Dallas, where MOUZ came in as overwhelming favorites but crumbled in the Grand Finals. Despite pushing back, they lost crucial rounds and eventually dropped the series 3-0.

Can MOUZ Finally Overcome Vitality?

Tactically, MOUZ and Vitality are neck and neck. Both rely on structured, well-drilled approaches to win games. The biggest difference? Individual firepower.

If MOUZ’s stars—especially xertioN and Jimpphat—can find their footing early, this has all the makings of a razor-close best-of-three.

It’s not sunshine and rainbows on the other side either, Vitality can’t afford to have the shaky start they did against NAVI. They’ll need to be fully switched on if they want to make quick work of their opponents.

Map Veto Prediction

Given both teams’ preferences, expect immediate bans on Anubis and Ancient. Likely map pool:

Dust 2 (Vitality’s pick)
Mirage (MOUZ’s pick)
Train (Decider)

Final Verdict

For MOUZ, this isn’t just about beating Vitality—it’s about breaking the mental block of always falling short. Their resilience has been their story all year, and now it’s at its final chapter.

That said, Vitality comes into this with the psychological edge. They’ve beaten MOUZ over and over. They know the matchup, they know the gaps, and they know how to handle them.

While anything can happen at the Austin Major 2025, our money is on Team Vitality to once again topple MOUZ and punch their ticket to the Grand Finals.

The series kicks off the Austin Major Semifinals. Tune into BLAST Twitch/YouTube at 01:00 pm CDT // 11:00 am PT to catch the action live.

Follow BLAST on X for the latest update on the Major. You can also follow the tournament on Strafe.

Featured Image Credit: BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025